Mank (2020) Review

 

Mank (2020)

Mank follows Herman Maniewicz through 1930s/40s Hollywood, as he races to finish writing Citizen Kane.

What makes the story behind Citizen Kane so interesting is just how wild of a story it is and how much it mirrors the movie that was created, for both the man trying to make it, and the man opposing it. Leaving washed up and perpetually drunk, Hollywood film writer—Mank, as the middle man as he once was friends with the man the film is about, William Hurst. But that all changes, with this film being about Mank’s ideological changes and how those around him pushed him to not only turn on them, but to write the greatest movie ever created. His fast wit and alcoholism often got him in trouble, but it’s in him fighting for his morals and what he believes is correct against the corrupt social and political sides of Hollywood which put him in the biggest pickles. It’s also set to the backdrop of the 1934 governor’s race, which saw the moral disagreements behind socialism and communism, which fuels much of Mank’s fire to get back at Hurst and MGM years later.

The cast is phenomenal, including Amanda Seyfried and Tom Pelphrey, but it’s Gary Oldman and Tom Burke who really steal it. Oldman portrays the often drunk Mank as a crazy, out of touch writer, who in reality, is incredibly intelligent and aware of everything. It’s interesting seeing his journey from the 30s to the 40s & see how his ideology, after being continuously challenged, allows him to thus create a narrative that would become Citizen Kane. And Burke’s SPOT ON portrayal of Orson Welles from his looks to his voice was insane and left me astonished.

Directed by David Fincher, Mank is a love letter to the styles, sounds, and personalities of the Golden Age of Hollywood. He shot in mono audio, used fake backdrops, and utilized light in a way that made the HDR shooting style feel so classic. It’s a perfectly done period piece where nothing feels out of place in it’s obvious visual parallels to Citizen Kane, as well as other films from the era. We see an often overlooked side of this famous story, whose focus lies on Mankiewicz’ and how he fit into everything long before Welles came along.

10/10